1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to dispensing technology for spotting a biological sample such as protein or nucleic acid on a solid phase, and particularly to improved technology suitable in preparing a microchip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pursuant to the advancement in biotechnology, human genome has been decoded, and genetic research is making a transition to the stage of structural analysis and functional analysis of protein. For instance, in the research of medicine or the like, research concerning proteomics; that is, how proteins relate to medical conditions as well as the development of chemicals capable of suppressing the working of such proteins, is becoming increasingly important. In this type of proteomics research, employed is a protein chip in which various proteins are spotted on a substrate. As a preparation method of such a chip, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-187900, known is a method of discharging a solution containing various proteins from an inkjet head and spotting this on a solid phase.